Cumberland County officials say the economic development
component of the county comp plan has not been updated in at least a decade.
Efforts to do just that are in full swing, with the
Cumberland Area Economic Development Corp., the Cumberland County Planning
Department and the Penn State Ag Extension office partnering on the update.
A series of focus-group meetings were held in September
with three target audiences: business, education and municipal.
"With the economic growth and development Cumberland
Valley has seen since 2000, it is an excellent time to reassess and
refocus," said Jonathan Bowser, CEO of CAEDC. "The goal is that the
county’s comp plan will be the leading guide for CAEDC’s economic development
focus moving forward."
That could mean guiding efforts in business attraction,
retention, expansion, funding and redevelopment/reuse, as well as
recommendations on zoning and infrastructure needs.
Kirk Stoner, county planning director, said officials
want to make sure the plan contain "actionable" items.
CAEDC is working to complete an economic profile of the
county, which would be analyzed and incorporated into the comp plan. As the
comp plan process moves forward, there will be a series of public meetings to
discuss it before approved by the county commissioners, Bowser said.
There is no precise time frame for completion of the
updated economic strategy, he added.
Source: Central
Penn Business Journal
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